Only 2 Months to Curling

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Can you believe that our curling season ended almost 3 months ago??!! The club’s board has been hard at work planning for the new season.

The following are the board positions for the 2011 / 2012 season:

§ Vice President – Rob Klein

§ Treasurer – Landon Russell

§ Secretary – Michelle Richter

§ Membership – Randy Sabbagh

§ Communications and Web Site –Buck Krawczyk

§ Special Events – Uly Suchil

§ Pro Shop – Michelle Richter & Pat Popovich

§ Competition – Ken Poklitar

§ V My thanks to the past year’s board members who did not seek or were not re-elected to the board at the May annual meeting. This includes Bill McBeth, Christina Gilsbach, Darlene Barnes, and Zac Grantham. The strength of this club is its volunteers, and your efforts were very much appreciated.

Plans are well underway for the new season. The preliminary schedule starts with an Open House on Sept. 11. If you have any friends or acquaintances interested in curling, this would be the opportunity for them to give curling a try. An education and practice session is planned for Sept. 18, and the first league games would be on Sept. 25. The Fall season will run through to Dec. 18, with the Winter season starting again on January 9 and running till April 1. Games will be at the same time as years past, Sundays 9:30AM to 11:45 AM, at the Chaparral Ice facility on Anderson Lane. Watch your email for membership signup and more details.

For those of you in summer curling withdrawal, the club is looking to hold a practice session. This is tentatively planned for Sunday, August 14 from 9:30AM to 11:45AM. This will be an open ice session, so you can practice or pickup games. Pat Popovich is coordinating the event. It will require a minimum of 25 persons, so watch your email for sign up information.

Probably the most exciting development for the club this season will be the construction and opening of the Austin Curling Center (ACC). Anita and Dennis are working hard on making their dream a reality. Their target for opening is the Spring of 2012.

Another event in the planning stage is the 2012 Texas Open Bonspiel (TOB). Our club has committed to host this event, and if plans come together, it will be first major event held at the ACC. Ken Poklitar has accepted the position of bonspiel chairman. He has compiled a detailed list of activities and ideas for the bonspiel. This is a major event for our club, and will require much time and effort from the membership. There will be many opportunities to volunteer and help out with the event. Watch your email for the organizational meeting.

As always, please contact me if you have questions, comments, suggestions, or criticisms. I welcome your input. First rocks in the new season are less than 2 months away!!!!!